1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus to which a post-processing apparatus (finisher) that needs a warm-up process is connected, and to an image forming system in which such an image forming apparatus and a post-processing apparatuses are coupled.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been widely used a system which couples an image forming apparatus and a post-processing apparatus, and which processes in the post-processing apparatus a plurality of sheets on which images are formed by the image forming apparatus. Recently, there have been proposed various types of post-processing apparatuses provided with a bookbinding function. The bookbinding function makes a stack of sheets by stacking a plurality of sheets conveyed from the image forming apparatus on a sheet stacking tray and then produces a book by binding the stack of sheets.
Among post-processing apparatuses, there are some apparatus that need warm-up until a post-processing function becomes usable. For example, a post-processing apparatus that carries out bookbinding by the use of a hot-melt type adhesive is one example of them. Such a post-processing apparatus is provided with a heating member for melting the adhesive. However, it is not possible to carry out bookbinding operations during a warm-up process of heating the heating member up to the melting temperature of the adhesive.
Conventionally, when using such a post-processing apparatus needing such a worm-up process and an image forming apparatus by connecting them, operations of the image forming apparatus was controlled to start after waiting until the worm-up process has been completed. As a consequence, when using a post-processing apparatus requiring a long warm-up period, the efficiency of the bookbinding operation for the first copy of a book has particularly lowered.